Automatic replenishing-loom.



, A. E. RHOADES. AUTOMATIC REPLBNISHING LODM. I APPLICATION FILED rmm'r, 1914. I 1 123,141 Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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WiIne s'ses. humor t Alonofifihoudes My 5 HRHOA-DES. AUTOMATIC REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.27. 1914,

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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ALONzOn. RHOAJJns, or HOPEDALE, .MASSACHUSETTS, Asslcivon TO DRAPER GOM- PANY, F HOPEDALE, MAss'A HUsETTs, A CORPORATION. OF MAINE.

- AUToMATIc RErLENIsHING-LOOM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec; 29, 1914';

Application filed February-27, 1914. Serial No. 821,540.

ToaZZ whom it may concern: I

- Be it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHoADEs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, county of lVorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improve ment in Automatic Replenishing-Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in looms provided with mechanism to effect automatically a change in'the operation of.

the loom when the filling on the active shuttle is substantially exhausted. This change in the operation of the loom may be in the stoppagethereof or it may be, and more frequently is, the replenishment of the fill- 'ing in the working shuttle. In laoms of this character the controlling mechanism is arranged to cooperate with a feeler which is adapted to automatically enter the working shuttle and feel upon the filling upon the filling carrier as the lay comes forward to beat up the filling. Upon substantial exhaustion of the filling upon the filling carrier a hunter carried by the fee-{er contacts with the s de of the shuttle or of the shuttle box and thereupon actuates a controller either directly or indirectly to initiate the operation of the mechanism, which effects the change in the operation of the loomf It is found that the change in operation of the loom is occasionally falsely called for by the feeler and the loom stopped or transfer effected while a considerable amount of filling remains upon the filling carrier. This causes a loss of the time required to attend and restart the loom, or a waste of filling by the premature discharge of the filling carrier from the shuttle. I

' One of the objects of thisinvention 1s to provide means which are adapted to effect the proper change in the operation of the loom upon actual substantial exhaustion of the filling upon the filling carrier but which will not be operated by a false detection of absence of filling by the feeler. In the preferred embodiment of my invention disclosed herein this is accomplished by providing means whereby the change in the operation of the loom will be initiated only after a plurality'of successive detections by trated'in the drawing as a bobbin.

' usual manner.

of resistance will be interposed against the first movement of said member than against a subsequent movement thereof. whereby overthrow upon the first movement which might initiate transfer will be avoided. and the full throw toeffect transfer upon a subsequent movement made with relatively litthe feeler of'substantial exhaustion of filltle resistance in order that the change in the operation of the loom may be initiated with certainty.

Other objects of the invention will more fully appear from the following descrip trons and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings. Figure 1 is a general plan view. partly broken away of a loom embodying-my invention, Fig. 2is a plan view of the feeler mechanism-,Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same,'1 ig. 4: is a side elevation thereof.

The in vention is illustrated herein in connection with the usual type of Northrop loom such as that shown in U. S. Patent No. 789,51 granted May 9. 1905 to lVood and Xorthrop and comprises the usual frame and breast beam 1. a lay 2, provided with a shuttle box and shuttle 3 inclosing the usual filling carrier l which is illus- The shuttle box and the shuttle are apertured to permit the entrance of the feeler in the The battery end of the loom as illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a carrier 5 having a plurality of bobbin supports and a transfer arm 6 which is adapted to be actuated through a controller shaft 7 having a vertically extending arm 8 to which is pivoted a latch 9 adapted to be positioned in the path of the weft hammer 15 by a transmitter having a lateral projection 11 forming a cam slot inclosing a pivoted controller 12- adapted to be operated by the feeler H through a movable member 13 upon detection by the feeler of substantial exhaustion of filling upon the filling carrier.

The loom may be provided with the usual feeling fork 16 carried by a slide 17 and adapted upon detection of-absence of filling to actuate, the transfer arm through the member or grasshopper 18 in the manher usual in the Northrop type of looms.

A shuttle feeler and thread cutter is also illustrated in Fig. 1 in its position at the battery end of the loom vvhilethe opposite end is provided with the usual shipper plate extension '21 above which is mounted a lever 20 which is adapted to engage a shipper Q2 slidably mounted in a slot 23in said plate. The .fecler mechanism is preferably mounted upon a stand at the end of the shipper plate.

The construction thus described may be of the usual character and forms no part y of the present invention.

In the feeling mechanism of the character heretofore used an actuator carried by the feeler has been provided to engage the controller either directly or indirectly and cause the latter to initiate the change in the operation of the loom upon' detection of substantial ezihaustion of filling upon the filling-carrier, but it has" been found that in -many instancesthe' feeler will falsely indicate an exhaustion of filling and call for a change in the operation of the loom such a transfer of the filling carrier in the snuttle or the stoppage of the loom, thus causing in the first instance a waste of filling and in the second a loss of the time required for the attendance and restarting of the loom. By the present invention means are provided whereby the likelihood of causing such a premature change in .the'operation of the loom is avoided, by inter-posing between the controller and the feeler certain mechanism which will require a plurality of successive detections by the feeier of substantial exhaust-ion of filling, before the mechanism which causes the change .in the operation of the loom vvill be called upon to perform its function. I

In the preferred form of invention illustrated herein a slide is interposed between the actuator carried by the feeler and the controller and in is are provided whereby the actuator will be given only a preliminarv movement upon detection of absence of filling. and will require a series of successive engiigements by said actuator to move it suliiciently far to cause the controller, operating through the transmitter, to position the latch in the path of the Weft hammer, means are also provided to restore the slide to normal position if the actuator fails the actuator preferably extends parallel to 7 erative position;

to advance said slide upon rnentsof the feeler.

The preferred form of fecler mechanism embodying my inventionjas illustrated herein comprises a stand having a base portion and a top portion 26 secured together in a suitable manner, and chambered out to form a slideway for the feeler 27 which isheld in extended or feeling position by a spring 28. The forward end of the feeler 1s provided with a feeling head and is slotted intermediate of the head portion and the stand to receive an actuator 30 which is mounted upon a pin or bolt 31 extending across said slot. The actuator 30, comprises an arm offset from, but extending in a plane parallel to the plane of the feeler and is provided ,vvith an upward projection or lug 32 parallel to the offset. A bolt 33, the head of which is adapted to form a banter, is suitably secured in said lug andthe offset portion of the actuator by means of screw threaded connections, and maybe clamped in position by a nut 3i. The end portion of successive movethe feeler 27 and is provided at its tip with a notch 36 which 18 adapted to engage a suitable slide to actuate the controller in'a manner hereinafter, to be described. The upper portion of the stand ispreferably provided with a loop against which the arm of the actuator is pressed by a spring secured to the underside of the feeler.

The feeler is provided with an extension 3? preferably cylindrical in form inclosed by the spring '28 which maintains the feeler normally in feeling position. This extension projects slightly beyond the end of the stand and the end thereof is notched to form a shoulder or catch 38 .adapted to co- 5 operate with a latch. carried by the sliding member 13 in a manner which will hereinafter be described.

At the junction of the feeler 27 with its cylindrical extension 37 a laterally extending plate l0 is preferably provided having an upstanding lug -l1 adapted to be engaged by the end of the controller 12 and which vvill normally hold said controller in inop- Thetop of the upper portion 26 of the stand is provided vxith a slideivayjn which is moantel a slide 13, this slide being preferably composed of a member fitting in said slidevvay and provided with a superposed plate 51 rigidly secured thereto. and having a beveled end portion 53 at the for-'- Ward end and a recess or notch 54 at the .rear end, said notch providing a shoulder 55 adapted to be engaged by the actuator upon detection of absence of filling in the filling carrier. The extreme forward end of the sliding member 51 forms a like shoulder 56 adapted to be engaged by the actuator. The end of the member "51 is preferably provided with a downward projection 57 which is adapted to engage the end of the controller 12 and force the same forward after the slide 13 has been sufficiently advanced to permit the projection 57 to engage said controller.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein but two shoulders upon the sliding member adapted to be engaged by the actuator are shown but it will be obvious that any desirable number of shoulders may be provided or. that other means may be provided whereby the movable members may be engaged by the said actuator. In order that the controller shown herein may be moved to suliiciently initiate a change in the operation of the loom it is necessary that the feeler shall detect substantial absence of filling upon the filling carrier and cause the engagement of the actuator with the shoulders and 56 in succession.

It is of course necessary that sufficient resistance be provided to prevent the slide from overthrowing and thereby causing pre-- mature transfer and also .to prevent the rebounding of the slide when advanced to the limit of its movement. To efi ect this result, the slide is preferably provided with difi'erential frictional members adapted to interpose resistance. of difierent degrees against the movement of the slide so that the preliminary movement of the slide will be caused to cease immediately upon the disengagement of the actuator, but the final movement of the slide to actuate the controller will meet with little resistance. As illustrated herein the 'sliding'member l8 is secured in the slideway by a stud or bolt 60 which extends from the upper portion of the stand 26 upwardly through a slot in the sliding member 51, the upper end of the bolt or stud 60 being provided with a washer 61 and nut 62. The friction member preferably consists of a stud 65 likewise projecting upwardly from the upper portion of the stand "36 and provided with a wa sher 66 I resting upon the upper surface of the member 51, said washer 66 being forced down upon said surface by a spring 67 which may be adjusted to greater or less tension by suitable set nuts (38.

t will be observed by reference to Fig. 3 it when the slide 13 is in normahposition the washer 66 will rest against the inclined surface 53 of the sliding member 51 and it will be obvious that when the slide is first advanced by the engagement of the actuator 30 with the shoulder 55 on the sliding member a considerable amount of resistance will be presented to such movement, but upon the second engagement of the actuator with the shoulder 56 of the sllding member the washer will have reached the horizontal portion of the upper surface of the slide member and a less degree of resistance will be presented to the movement of the sliding member. By this arrangement sufficient force is always exerted upon the feeler to prevent overthrow upon the first detection by the feeler of substantial exhaustion of filling upon the filling carrier, but the slide is permitted to work more freely upon the subsequent engagement of the feeler to move the controller.

Inasmuch as it is desirable that a change in the operation of the loom shall be effected only'u'pon a plurality of successive engagements by the actuator with the sliding member it is necessary to provide means for returning the sliding member to normal position if the actuator fails to engage the sliding member upon successive reciprocations of the feeleiu in the preferred form of invention illustrated herein the slide 13 is provided with an upwardly extending lug T0 in which is ournaled a shaft 71 provided at its end with a latch 72 having a downwardly projecting end 73 normally supported by an inclined surface 74 in the member 26 directly over the rearwardly extended end 37 of the feeler. The shaft 71 is preferably provided with"a spring 75 attached to the lug and to a collar 76 which is suitably supported upon the end of the shaft 71, said spring having the function of maintaining the latch 72 in a depressed position so that when the slide is moved for wardly by the action of the feeler the downwardly projecting end 7-1 of the latch 72 will extend into the path of the catch 38 carried by the rearward extension of the feeler. So long as the hunter 35 contacts with the side of the shuttle or shuttle box to force the actuator into engagement with the sliding member the latter will be forced forward in unison with the feeler and the catch 38 will not extend beyond the latch 78, but if after the first engagement of said actuator with the shoulder 55 of the sliding member, the hunter fails to throw the actuator into engagement with the shoulder 56 of said sliding member, the catch 38 will be forced beyond the end 73 of the latch and upon the feeler being returned to feeling position by the spring 28 said catch will engage the end 73 of the latch and return the sliding member with it to normal position. lVhen the'latch substantially reaches normal position the under face of the latch 73 rides upon the inclined surface 7% out of engagement with the notch 38 and permits the feeler to return to normal position.

It is to be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is illustrative merely and not restrictive and that my invention comprehends any mechanism in which a fceler is required to detect absence of filling successively during a plurality of reciprocations of the feeler &

said actuator upon each detection by the feeler of substantial exhaustion of filling upon the nllmg carrier, and means whereby 1 member will 'be actuated only by a plurality of successive engagements of said actuator upon detection of absence of filling to initiate a change in the operation of the loom.

11 feelin g mechanism for looms comprising a stand, a i eeler mounted thereon, an actuator carried by said ieeler, a relatively movable member adapted to be engaged by saidactuator upon detection by the feeler of substantial exhaustion of filling upon the lillin carrier, means whereby said member will be actuated only after a plurality of successive engagements of said actuator to initiate a change in the operation of the loom, and means for restoring said member to normal position unless the,

same is engaged by said actuatorupon each oi said plurality of successive movements of said i'eelcr. I

- An automatic filling replenishing loom having a transferring mechanism, means for operating the same to .erl'ectthe introduction of a fresh filling carrier comprising a feeler, and means adapted to be operated thereby to initiate the action ot'the transfer mechanism only after a plurality oft successive detections bysaid feeler of sub stantial exhaustion of filling upon the filling carrier.

-l. in an automatic filling replenishing loom having a transferring mechanism, means for operating the same tov efi'ect the introduction ofa fresh filling carrier com prising a feeder, an actuator carried thereby, a movable member adapted to be en-' gaged by said actuator upon detection by said feeler of substantial exhaustion of filling upon the-filling carrier of the active shuttle, and means whereby said member will be suliiciently actuated only after a plurality of engagements by said actuator to initiate the action of the transfer mechanism.

Feeling mechanism for automatic filling rcplenishi looms comprising a stand, a l'eeler slidably mounted. thereon, a relativelv movable member mounted upon said stand independently of said i eeler. an actuator carried by said feeler, adapted to engage and move said movable member upon detectionby the feeler of substantial exhaustion of filling upon the filling carrier,

means for arresting the movement of said member and means whereby said actuator will reengage and movesaid member upon a second successive detection by said feeler of absence of filling sutliciently to actuate saidtransfer mechanism.

6. Feeling mechanism for automatic filling replenishing looms comprising a stand, a feeler slidably mounted upon said stand, a sliding member mounted upon said stand independently of said feeler, an actuator carried by said feeleradapt'ed to engage said sliding member upon detection by the feeler of substantial exhaustion of filling dependently of said feeler, an actuator carried by said teeler adapted to engage an v element of said sliding member to move the latter upon detection by said feeler-or" substantial absence of filling on the filling carrier, a brake adapted'to arrest said sliding member upon the disengagement of said.

actuator and means adapted to be actuated by said sliding memberonly after a plurality of successive engagements ofsaid actu ator therewith to effect a change in the operation of the loom. v 8. Feeling mechanism for looms comprising a stand, a feeler slidably mounted thereon, having a rearwardly eXtendi-ngcatch, a sliding member having a plurality of'e ngaging elements mounted on said stand independently of said feeler, an actuator carried by said Ieeler adapted to engage an element of said sliding member to more the latter upon detection by said feeler of subgaging elements mounted on said stand instantial absence of filling on the filling carrier, a brake adapted to arrest said sliding member upon the disengagement of said actuator and means adapted to be actuated by said sliding member only after a plurality of successive engagements of said actuator therewith to elfect a change in the operation of the loom, and means carried by said sliding member adapted to be engaged by the catch'on said feelcr to restore the sliding member to. original position unles's moved by said actuator upon each successive reciprocation of saidfeelcr.

9. Feeling mechanism for looms comprising a feeler, a movable member adapted to -be adyanced thereby upon detection of absence of filling and upon a plurality of ad vances to initiate a change in the operation of the loom and of cooperating means car'- ried by said feeler and said movable me ber adapted to restore said movable memb r to normal position unless advanced by successive movements of'said feeler.

10. Feeling mechanism for looms comprising a feeler and a movable member adapted to be advanced thereby of successive detections of substantial exhaustion of the filling upon the filling car- ,rier to effect a change in the operation of the loom, a brake for said movable member adapted sistance to the movement of said movable member whereby initiation of the change in the operation of the loom is prevented upon the first detection by said feeler of absence of filling. sequent successive detection thereof.

11. Feeling mechanism for looms comprising a feeler and a movable me'mber adapted to be advanced thereby and upon a plurality of successive detections of substantial exhaustion of the fillingupon the filling carrier to ,efiect a change in the operationof the loom, a brake for said movable member adapted to present different degrees of resistance to the movement of said movable member whereby initiation of and upon a plurality to present different degrees of re and is permitted upon a sub the change in the operation of the loom is prevented upon the first detection by said feeler of absence of filling and is permitted upon a subsequent successive detection thereof comprising relatively inclined surfaces upon the sliding member and a spring actuated braking member and means permitting a relatively sliding movement between said members.

i 12. Feeling mechanism for looms comprising a stand, a spring actuated feeler mount ed thereon having a rearward extension, a sliding member mounted on said stand independently of said feeler and having a plurality of shoulders, an actuator carried by said feeler adapted upon detection of absence of filling in the filling carrier to engage a shoulder, on said sliding member to advance the same, a brake for said sliding member, and alatch pivoted upon said sliding member adapted to engage said feeler extension and restore said sliding member to normal position when the same is not engaged by said actuator.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, two subscribing witnesses.

/ ALONZO E. RHOADES Witnesses FRANK B. DAVIS, DANA Oseoon.

in the presence of 

